Entry
formalities – Health:A visa is not needed, on the other
hand a valid passport is required and the return ticket as well as a
proof of accommodation and of sufficient funds for your stay must be
shown upon arrival. The Seychelles Immigration will then issue a free
visitor's pass valid for one month which can possibly be extended. If
children are not included on the parent's passport, they have to make
sure to have their own passport.

Time
difference:GMT/UTC + 4 hours. To get the Seychelles time add
3 hours to the Central European Time in winter, and 2 hours to the
CET in summer. In other words, when it is 9 am in Paris, in Mahe it
is 11 am (in summer) and 12 noon (in winter).

Exchange
rate – Currency:The
Seychelles Rupee (SR) is the local currency and is divided in 100
cents. There are coins of 1, 10 and 25 cents, coins of 1 and 5 Rupees
and notes of 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 Rupees. 1 SR is worth about
0.06 € and 1 € is the approximate worth 16 SR. It is not
necessary to change a large amount of foreign currency into Rupees
because most local expenses (excursions, car rental, domestic flight
tickets, etc.) can also be paid in € or USD. For further
information on current exchange rates please visit:
www.cbs.scLanguage
- Vocabulary :English
and French are both official languages, however the Creole is the
lingua-franca. The Creole Seychellois rehabilitated has become a
semi-official language in 1981 and is increasingly used in press and
literature. The Creole Seychellois is similar to the Creole spoken in
Mauritius and in Martinique, but very different from the Creole
spoken in La Reunion.

Gastronomy:The
best creole cuisine of all the Indian Ocean area is found in the
Seychelles. Rice and fish, which are the basic food, are livened up
in a very much inventive way with fruits, vegetables, herbs and some
spices. The variety of local fish and seafood is unimaginable: you
will surely be able to taste shark, barracuda, bourgeois (red
snapper), octopus, rabbit fish, as well as other traditional creole
dishes like 'daube' (local ragout), 'rougaille' (special tomato
sauce served with fish or local sausages), coconut curry (mild curry
of meat or of fish, cooked in coconut milk), 'brèdes' (local variety
of spinach)...

Cost of living on spot:Seychelles
is certainly not one of the cheapest destinations. However if you
have travelled there, you will most probably wish to enjoy your
holiday ….

Climate
:The Seychelles seasons are defined by the sense of trade
winds, which blow north-west (from December till March) or south-east
(from May till September). April and November are marked by the
inter-seasons: calmer periods, sometimes windless, this is the time
trade winds change direction. These light and variable wind periods
are accompanied by calm seas and clear waters.

The
north-west trade wind season is characterized by intermittent rain
squalls particularly in January and stronger winds during the period
from December till March. Fortunately, all the Islands of the
Seychelles are located outside cyclone belt. In general, the
north-westerly winds strengthen at the close of day, but remain
relatively weak with an average wind speed of 5-10 knots and reach
its peak strength in January.

The
south-east trade winds are drier and tend to blow more uniformly
throughout the day and at night, peaking in July / August. The
average speed of the wind during the period from June till September
is from 10 to 15 knots, with occasional gusts linked to the sudden
lifting of trade winds, however not exceeding 30 knots.

The
air temperature varies, regardless of the time of year, between 24°C
and 31°C, the rate of humidity is 80 %. The sea temperature lies
between 24°C and 29°C.